Lú Sīdào 盧思道
Style name Zǐxíng 子行. Native of Zhuō 涿 in Fānyáng 范陽 (modern Zhuozhou, Hebei), from the prestigious Fānyáng Lú 范陽盧 clan. CBDB id 31534 (dates recorded as 0/0; lifedates 535–586 follow Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 57 and standard reference works).
Lú Sīdào is one of the foremost poets of the transition period between the Northern Qi 北齊 and the Sui dynasty. Born into the high northern aristocracy, he early distinguished himself as a literary prodigy at the Northern Qi court. After the Sui conquered Northern Qi in 577, he continued to serve at court, adapting to the new political order while maintaining his reputation as the most gifted poet of his generation. His biography is in Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 57 and Běishǐ 北史 juǎn 30.
His most celebrated work is the 〈從軍行〉 (Cónɡjūn xíng, March to War), which is considered a precursor of the great Tang frontier poetry tradition. He also wrote the 〈北齊興亡論〉 (Běi Qí xīngwáng lùn, Essay on the Rise and Fall of the Northern Qi), an important piece of historical reflection on political decline. He excelled in lèifǔ 樂府 and palace-style verse, and was instrumental in transmitting the refined literary culture of Northern Qi into the early Sui. He died before the reign of Emperor Yang, who favored a somewhat different, more overtly Southern-influenced style. His literary remains are gathered in KR4b0084.